Abstract
Cancer is associated with immunodeficiency, while allergies result from immune system hyperactivity mediated by cytokines and immunoglobulins. The purpose of this study was to determine the relationship between immune environment of specific cancers and allergies, emphasizing cytokines related to Th1 and Th2 responses associated with IgE. 80 adults were distributed into two groups: control (n = 20) and cancer (n = 60), distributed in three subgroups (n = 20), head and neck, stomach, and prostate cancers. This study compared Th1 (IL-2) and Th2 (IL-4) parameters, anti-inflammatory, pro-inflammatory, or regulatory profile regarding both IgE levels and reported allergies, by means of clinical manifestations and IgE, IL-1β, IL-2, IL-4, IL-17, and TGF-β serum concentration. Clinically allergies were observed in 50% of the control group and in 20% of the cancer group (p = 0.009). IL-2 cytokine and TGF-β concentrations were higher in the patients with cancer as compared to the control (p < 0.005). However, there were IL-4, IL-17, and IL-1β decreases in the patients with cancer (p < 0.05). No correlation was observed between the cytokines studied and IgE and clinically proven allergies in both investigated groups. There was an inverse association between cancer and clinical allergy manifestations. In head and neck, stomach, and prostate cancers, an immunosuppressive serum tumor environment was predominant. There was no difference in cytokines related to Th1 and Th2 parameters in relation to IgE. No correlation was found between clinically proved allergies and immunity markers related to the same allergens.
Highlights
Cancer is associated with immunodeficiency, while allergies result from immune system hyperactivity mediated by cytokines and immunoglobulins
Allergo-oncology is a recent multidisciplinary area that studies possible associations between cancer and the Th2 subdivision in the immune system, as well as the relations between tumors and immunity mediated by IgE and cytokines, to develop immunotherapies for cancer c ontrol[1,9,18,19]
There was an inverse association between cancer and clinically detected allergies, which favors the theory of immune s urveillance[12,47], which is higher in allergic processes and may be associated with the damage on malignant cells[1,5]
Summary
Cancer is associated with immunodeficiency, while allergies result from immune system hyperactivity mediated by cytokines and immunoglobulins. The purpose of this study was to determine the relationship between immune environment of specific cancers and allergies, emphasizing cytokines related to Th1 and Th2 responses associated with IgE. The IL-4 increase may direct the antibody production to the IgE isotype, associated with type I hypersensitivity reactions This allergy process, mediated by IgE, is capable of inhibiting tumor growth due to its cytotoxic effect on cancer c ells[6,7,8,9,10,11]. Allergo-oncology is a recent multidisciplinary area that studies possible associations between cancer and the Th2 subdivision in the immune system, as well as the relations between tumors and immunity mediated by IgE and cytokines, to develop immunotherapies for cancer c ontrol[1,9,18,19]. Other lymphocyte populations have been described in the literature, especially for Th17, which secretes IL-17 associated with autoimmune and extracellular defense diseases, as well as for regulatory T cells (Treg), associated with immune tolerance, inhibiting effector T cells (Tef), and suppressing destruction by a utoantigens[4,21,22,23,24,25,26]
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